Children's author Sergei Mikhalkov wrote Soviet, Russian anthems

Strong relationship with Stalin started with a love poem

3:37 AM,
Mar. 13, 2014

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When Sergei Mikhalkov was 4 years old the world of his parents, and his countrymen, fell apart. The Bolshevik Revolution erased a proud family past, and made the future uncertain.

Mikhalkov, who was born on March 13, 1913, dealt with the uncertainty by writing stories. His first, written when he was 9, was "A Tale of a Bear," it was never published, but did feed his desire to write. He became a submission pest to literary magazine editors. When he was 15, his first poem was published. By age 20 he'd become a popular poet. He went on to become one of the Soviet Union's most popular children's authors.